Chopped green salad made with cherry tomato, red onion, romaine lettuce, endive, yellow bell pepper, jicima! I love chopped salads because you get a bit of all ingredients in every bite. Vegan, raw, organic, and locally from the farmers' market in WestLA. A great way to detox our way into the New Year! What are your favorite chopped salad ingredients?

I've booked dates for the first 2014 Ani's Raw Food Certification Level 1. Class will be held in Santa Monica, CA. February 22nd and 23rd Saturday 8am to Sunday 4pm This is a hands-on home chef food prep course with a focus on healthy living, natural beauty, fitness, and social entrepreneurship. Space is limited, and class will fill up quickly. So register today! For those interested in pursuing a career in Raw Foods, I also offer a Level 3 Teacher Certification Course. For more information, please visit my course page. I hope you'll join me in 2014! It's going to be the BEST year yet! xo (Photo by the awesome Mark Tassi)

Have you tried sunchokes yet, aka Jerusalem artichoke? They are the tuber of the sunflower plant, and available at our local farmers' markets here in Los Angeles. As with all tubers, they are full of minerals and vitamins and help boost our immune system in the wintertime. When eaten fresh and raw, sunchokes have a light crisp, similar to water chestnut. And are delicious sliced and served as a 'chip' with dips like guacamole and hummus. I tried roasting sunchokes in my friend's convection oven, tossed in a splash of olive oil. The texture was similar to a sweet potato, starchy and delicious. A warming comfort food on a cold winter day. Enjoy this vegan, gluten-free, superfood recipe: Roasted Sunchokes 2 pounds sunchokes, scrubbed 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Toss together the sunchokes and oil in a large bowl. Spread on baking tray and roast for 20 minutes, or until tender and golden brown.

Ani's Raw Food Detox just arrived to me here in Los Angeles fresh off the presses. It's always different to hold the physical book in my hands after it's printed. This book will be available everywhere books are sold January 1st 2014. And, it's already available for pre-order on Amazon too. Eating raw food is a detox in and of itself since we eliminate common allergens like wheat, dairy, animal products, refined sugar, and processed foods. This book contains a 15-day program with shopping lists for eating healthy raw foods to detox and cleanse, and even loose some excess unwanted pounds. This detox will leave you glowing with health and bounding with excess energy. It's fun to effortlessly detox while feasting on the yummiest whole, unprocessed, fresh, raw foods ever!

The best Raw Food and Vegan Apple Pie ever! I made this dessert with 2 lbs of sliced apples, raisins, cinnamon, vanilla, lemon, and then topped it off with slivered almonds…all on a gluten-free walnut and Medjool date crust. A yummy detox and whole food that's both healthy and guiltless. Have your cake and eat it too! This is why I love Raw Food desserts.

Getting ready for my Raw Food, Vegan, and Gluten-free Thanksgiving on Thursday, using all whole food and superfood ingredients. Here's a new recipe made with Cashew Kream that is topped with persimmon off a friend's tree. It's then finished with mesquite-lucuma sauce and cacao that's been candied with coconut sugar. This is one of my new favorite desserts, and I'm feeling grateful. What's your favorite Thanksgiving recipe?

I was featured in Sunday's Los Angeles Times newspaper here in LA, in their Holiday Guide. Here are a couple recipes and hopefully some ideas you will find useful and inspiring for keeping it fresh whole food, raw food, vegan, and healthy recipes during your holidays! Enjoy xoxo

Ani's Juice Kitchen in action. I'm crafting a bunch of new organic recipes for delicious, healthy detox, plus nourishment. This is a similar process as when making food recipes, but in liquid form. And I'm focused on color and flavor. What's your favorite seasonal juice combo today?